Why Big Data Matters in Retail

By Heidi Zak, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of ThirdLove. Originally published on Quora.

Every founder starts a company with a vision — a problem to solve, a goal to achieve, a dream to attain.

It’s what drives us to work long hours and make sacrifices, all in pursuit of the bigger picture.

When I started ThirdLove with my husband, Dave, our mission was simple: to offer bras for all women that makes them feel confident and comfortable.

Creating the perfect bra for everyone hasn’t been easy, though. One of the hardest things for me is getting feedback from women who say, “You don’t have my size.” I never want to exclude anyone, and hearing this makes me feel like I’ve failed.

But now, we’re finally much closer to achieving our goal of helping women of all sizes find the perfect bra for their body. ThirdLove recently launched 24 new sizes, and I’m elated. Rather than having to turn away women who are a 38H or a 46E, for example, we have something to offer them.

Two main reasons why we were able to reach our goals were because of our customers and the data they gave us.

Having data helps you make smart design decisions, and cultivating a genuine emotional bond with your customers is what allows you to understand their needs.

Here’s why our team needed both to accomplish our goal:

Data lacks bias.

When developing any product, data is the first thing you should consider. It guides you to the right place and helps you design something that fulfills a real customer need.

Numbers and figures aren’t emotional. Data doesn’t create a stereotype that could distract you from offering what your customers want. Instead, it allows you to analyze trends and follow the metrics that make sense so you can design a product people want.

This means conducting beta tests and collecting as much information as possible before launching a product. At ThirdLove, the data we collect helps us understand what customers like and dislike, so we can figure out what sizes and styles to produce.

A few ways we gather data from customers are through surveys, customer support feedback, focus groups, and a custom online quiz — the Fit Finder. Since we launched the Fit Finder, over 10 million women (and counting) have participated.

Part of that data was 2 million women asking for more size options. So it was very easy for us to see that there was demand for more sizes.

But you should never blindly follow data without considering your customers’ reactions.

Customers create authentic emotional connections.

Even the best product is useless if no one knows or cares about it. That’s why you want people to feel excited and talk about what you’re offering.

A simple way to do this is to include your customers in your process.

Before launching our extended sizes at ThirdLove, we held several focus groups with potential customers and influencers to get their opinions on the product tagline, hashtags, and marketing materials. This feedback was a priority when it came to crafting our new messaging because it came from women who represented our target audience for these products.

We also talked to customers who had tried our bras during the beta test, asking about the impact our products had on their lives. This yielded some amazing customer testimonials — from women who struggled for years to find the perfect size, to women who appreciate the real, imperfect bodies of the models we feature.

Sure, positive feedback makes you feel great about your product and company. But more importantly, it shows that you’re able to connect with your customers on an emotional level. And that’s the real reason why many founders do what they do.

The little things matter.

If you want to create a brand customers love, you have to pay attention to the little things. Don’t overlook the details.

When launching our extended sizes, we were really mindful about the little things that would make the experience better for women. For instance, it can be embarrassing for plus-size women to be relegated to a separate part of a store or website. I believe a size is just a size, and dividing “regular” from “plus size” isn’t necessary for online shopping. That’s why we chose not to have a separate section for these new sizes on our website. And why we decided not to use different marketing tactics to target potential customers.

The little decisions you make can have a huge impact on someone’s confidence and well-being.

If you want to empower customers and inspire confidence in them, don’t make them feel ashamed, embarrassed, different. Instead, rely on data and authentic customer feedback.

Both components have immense power to impact your company — and both will help you reach those customer-centric goals you set when you first started.

By Heidi Zak, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of ThirdLove. Originally published on Quora.

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